Prof Stephen Tuffnell re-examines the glitter of the gold rush

Wednesday, 5 December 2018

Yesterday morning, Prof Stephen Tuffnell, Fellow and Tutor of Modern US History at St Peter’s, appeared on Australian national radio to talk about his research into the global gold rushes of the 19th century.

Speaking on ABC’s Late Night Live, Prof Tuffnell talked to host, Phillip Adams, about the transformative impact (political, economic, migratory) of the gold rushes on places such as San Francisco, the complex demographics of those who sought their fortune in the Californian gold fields, and the impact that the gold rush had on indigenous populations and the local environment, the consequences of which are still being felt today.

Stephen was joined on the show by Dr Benjamin Mountford, Senior Lecturer in History at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, with whom he has published a collection of essays, which brings together historians of the United States, Africa, Australasia, and the Pacific World to tell the rich story of the gold rushes of the 19th-century. Published by University California Press, A Global History of Gold Rushes has been praised by the Australian historian Prof Marilyn Lake as, "An outstanding collection of essays exemplifying global history at its best—dynamic, interconnected, and original".